Modern telecommunications services include, but are not limited to traditional voice telecommunications, video, audio video, data and other signals or content. Telecommunication services are provided to customers through various networks. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, telecommunications content might in certain instances be provided from a content provider 102 to a customer located at premises 104 through several networks of greater or lesser scale. The networks between the content provider 202 and premises 204 include but are not limited to access and core networks associated with the content provider (not shown), the Internet 106, a core network 108 and an access network 110. The access network 110 typically extends to a customer premises from an edge router. The access network 110 is maintained and owned by a primary telecommunications provider. The customer at premises 104 typically has a customer/vendor relationship with the primary telecommunications service provider who owns the access network 110.
Many telecommunications service providers simultaneously utilize larger backbone networks such as the Internet 106 and core network 108. However, a provider access network 110 extending to a gateway maintained by the customer (for example residential gateway 112) from an edge router maintained by a telecommunications service provider is proprietary to the telecommunications service provider. For example, an optical fiber, wire network, fixed wireless or other type of network utilizing one or more types of transmission media maintained by a telephone service provider from an edge router to a customer premises constitutes an access network which is not available for the transmission of telecommunications information provided by the local cable company or a wireless service provider. These other service providers must provide their own access networks if telecommunications services are to be provided to the customer at premises 104.
Therefore, multiple sets of equipment, cabling and hardware are required if multiple telecommunication service providers desire to provide and maintain an access network from an edge router to a customer premises. Hence, there is a need for solutions that can overcome the above and other technical hurdles to enable multiple telecommunications service providers to utilize the same access network to deliver content to a customer premises for customer use or further distribution in a third-party network.